Here’s to the start of the weekend! Hope you’ve got a fun one planned. In the meantime, if you need a short Friday afternoon work break (who doesn’t, right?), I’ve rounded up some fair trade facts to share. Fair trade continues to grow and progress all over the world, bringing more and more people sustainable income in third-world countries. If you’re interested in fair trade but don’t know a whole lot about it, take a peek through these and let it inspire you to join in the global fair trade movement!

–There are now fair trade certified products in 70 developing countries across Africa, Asia, Oceania, Latin America and the Caribbean from group cooperatives, independent small farmers, and farm workers.

—Almost 12,000 products with the certified fair trade label are being sold in more than 100,000 retail locations across North America, spanning a wide range of categories, from coffee to jewelry to pottery.

—Fair trade coffee sales date back to 1940, when the fair trade coffee movement began in The Netherlands.

—Today, Fairtrade Fortnights are celebrated in several countries, most notably Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

–There are 1.24 million fair trade farmers and artisans around the world.

—Unfortunately, an average of only 20% of producer goods are sold under fair trade terms; the rest goes through the world market at much lower prices. So while there has been much progress made in the fair trade movement, there is still a long way to go.

(Source: FairTradeUSA.org)

Have you seen the fair trade label on products but been unsure of what exactly it means? See below:

Fair Trade Federation Criteria:

1. Paying a fair wage in the local context.
2. Offering employees opportunities for advancement.
3. Engaging in environmentally sustainable practices.
4. Being open to public accountability.
5. Building long-term trade relationships.
6. Providing healthy and safe working conditions within the local context.
7. Providing financial and technical assistance to producers whenever possible.
8. Ensuring that there is no abuse of child labor.

If you have any interesting fair trade facts or news to share, please list in the comments section!

XO,

Casey